Yucky Sludge Stuff on the Pond Bottom

Can I scoop out the sludge out of the bottom of my pond?

I have a fountain/filter in my 550 gal pond and I have been having to rinse the filter every other day because it gets clogged from the yucky sludge stuff on the bottom. Can I scoop it out with a net?

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  You can try, but it probably will just stir it up. Cleaning out the pond is a good idea. Here's how:
• http://www.pondlady.com/Articles/cleanin…
• Or you could try using a swimming pool vacuum, like this:
• http://store.poolcenter.com/shared/Store…
• Attach a panty hose leg to the discharge. Don't buy the net that comes with the vac. It doesn't work because the netting is not tight enough.

• To find more pond information, go to pondlady.com
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Black pond water. Help.

Tetra pond algae control turned my pond water black, is that normal?

My 550 gallon pond was getting really green to the point where I couldn't even see my fish until they came to the surface to eat. Yesterday, I went to the pet store and purchased TetraPond Algae control and used it as directed. I diluted it in a bucket of water then poured it into the pond along the edges. When I woke up this morning the pond water was really dark. Is that normal? and will it eventually clear up?

Also, on another note, last week I put in TetraPond Barley and Peat stuff, I don't Know if it was okay to put in the algae stuff ontop of the barley and peat stuff. It wasn't clearing my water so I put in the algae stuff.

Answer:

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  That is dead algae. Be sure you have enough oxygen getting in the water. Turn on more pumps if you have them. Add an airstone just to keep the water oxygenated enough for your fish. 
• Algaecides can be very dangerous. For easy ways to keep your pond clear, read this article I wrote:
• http://www.pondlady.com/Articles/pondalg…

• To find more pond information, go to pondlady.com

Ponds and Snakes.

Just witnessed a Brownish-Black snake with Red-Orange bands hanging around small pond with Comets and Goldfish?

What kind of snake is this? It's a small decorative pond in Southeast Texas. I've seen pictures of water snakes and they don't compare. Snake is about 2 1/2 feet long and about 2 inches thick.

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• Answer:
  
  It could be a coral snake and very dangerous:
• http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/vi…
• Or it could be a milk snake, not dangerous at all:
• http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/vi…
• A poisonous snake always has vertical pupils, although I am not sure I would get that close if I were unsure.

• To find more pond information, go to pondlady.com

Waterfall pumps, waterfall ideas

Waterfall Pump Question?

I just bought a tub for a pond for my back yard I want to build a water fall for it. Any Ideas also what size pump (gph) should I buy? Its very small pond its maybe 5 feet long 21/2 feet deep so nothing nuts, just something to keep the water circulating.

Any websites with pics of decorating ideas too??

• Answer:
• For pond ideas, see the photo gallery of my website: http://www.pondlady.com

• I would get a pump that was at least 1250 gph. You can't have a real tall waterfall because the water will splash out, so stick with the medium sized one.

• To find more pond information, go to pondlady.com

What to do with a neglected pond

I just bought a house that has a small backyard pond. The house has been vacant for 9 months or so... and the pond has been sitting stagnant all this time. Today, I used the pump to get the water out. I also attempted to get the millions of leaves out! There are still some in there that I am having a hard time reaching. Once this is all cleaned out, I won't know what to do next... besides fill it with water :)

It looks like they were using lava rock as a filter. This was sectioned off at one end of the pond with a hose to the waterfall on the other end of the pond. 

The lava rocks are all mixed with leaves... I need to clean this all out. Can I reuse the lava rocks or should I get some new ones? Or would you suggest a different filter plan?

Also, when I bought my house, the pump is just laying on the ground next to the pond. Not attached to anything! I'm not sure how it is supposed to be set up.

I'm going to attempt to clean out the rest of the leaves tonight after it gets cooler. (Oooh.. I hear thunder. A storm will cool things off!) The leaves were settled to the bottom of the pond, so I don't think adding water and using a net would work to get the leaves out...

What do I need to do??

(And I live in a warm climate! Tampa, Florida!)

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• Answer
  First, clean out the pond completely. http://www.pondlady.com/Articles/cleanin…

• Then refill it. Use the pump you have and the lava rock set up. It's a great filter. Clean it up and reuse it.
• Test the pump by putting it in the water and plugging it in. Often when pumps sit out of the water for a time, the seals dry out and ruin the pump.
• Good luck. You will love your pond.

• To find more pond information, go to pondlady.com

Pond cleaning cost?

What's a fair price to pay for getting your pool pumped out and debris cleaned out of it?

I need to add that the pool is only half full. It has about 3 feet of leaves in the bottom and lots of sticks and twigs. Water needs to be pumped out and leaves cleaned out. What's a fair price?

Answer:

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  I charged $250.00 most of the time if the pond was relatively small. It's a nasty job because all those leaves have decomposed and are pretty stinky. Here's an article I wrote about how to clean pond:

• http://www.pondlady.com/Articles/cleanin…
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• To find more pond information, go to pondlady.com

Used ponds??

How much is a used/secondhand 400 gallon pond?

Oh please don't give an exact amount give an estimate, since I don't know what brand it is.

Answer:
Ponds are not usually bought, but installed. If you are buying a preformed pond - hard shell, it depends on the size of the shell. I recommend a flexible liner as the preformed pond shells do not last very long.

To find more pond information, go to pondlady.com

New house, new pond

Buying a home with a pond in the back?
The home in located in South Florida and it is on 1.14acres. There is this beautiful pond with rock waterfall in the back  When we looked in the pond, there were some brim/bluegill swimming around and I believe algae growth.

My question is, what would be good to put in the pond? plants? fish? animals?

Next to the home is a canal, but the property is fully fenced. We do have 2 dogs as well.


Answer

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For now, don't do anything. Watch it for a few months and see what it does. Anything you plant in it will take over. If you do decide to put some plants in, keep them in pots. You could plant irises around the edges because they will stay on the shore and not grow in the deeper parts.
You probably have lots of critters in there now, turtles, fish, frogs and more.
You are lucky to have your pond. Keep chemicals out of it and it will give you years of happiness.

To find more pond information, go to pondlady.com

Oily sheen on pond water

Whats the oily like stuff on top of my pond at this time off year?
when you look across the top of pond there is a sheen that looks like oil on water but it is not oil any ideas


Answer
It's what happens when plants and fish poop decay. The water, full of organic matter, has a sheen on top. Might be time to clean some of the decaying plants and fish poop from the bottom.
The sheen will not hurt anything, but it is annoying.

Fake pond plants

Where to buy fake plants for water garden?

Answer

• You put these directly in the pond and they will last for a few years.
• http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/po…

To find more pond information, go to pondlady.com

Tiki torch fluid

How do i get tiki torch fluid out of my pond?


Answer:
Use the garden hose and float the fluid off through a low spot in the pond. If you don't have one, just make one temporarily. Sometimes you have to aim the hose at the fluid and 'help' it out of the pond. It works. It takes time, but it works. Good luck.


To find more pond information, go to pondlady.com

Running your pump

How long to run pond fountain to aerate water properly?


Answer:
I recommend running a pump 24/7, but if you wish, you can cut down to 12 hours daily. Some people put their pumps on a timer.
It depends on how many fish you have. More fish = more 02 is needed.

To find more pond information, go to pondlady.com

Sizing pumps and skimmers

Pond skimmer, wrong size pump?
I had a pond built last month. I fear the pump is too powerful. The size is 6 ft by 9 ft depth from 18 in to 36 in at deepest. The skimmer states for pump up to 1800 gph. The pump installed in the skimmer is 2400 gph. It seem like the skimmer water level is too low and funny, almost whirlpool sounds come from skimmer. Is this due to the pump being too strong. Is it harmful to have too strong of a pump?



Answer:
Your pump is not too big. Your skimmer is too small. You can just put the pump in the pond and direct the water over the waterfall. That will do until or if you wish to replace the skimmer.

Frankly, you probably do not need a skimmer at all. Most people do not unless they are under a tree. The person who installed your pond needs to learn how to install one properly. It is still under warranty, so call him back and insist he do it right.

To find more pond information, go to pondlady.com

Concrete ponds?

How to build a concrete pond?

i'm planning to build a backyard fish pond and making it concrete but i do not know if that is feasible that is why i keep on searching for best answers for that.

Answer:

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  Instead of concrete, think about using 40 mil butyl rubber liner. Concrete is brittle, cracks easily, cannot be repaired and leaches lime. The flexible liner has at least a 20 year guarantee and is easy to install and work with.
• For more info, see my website at http://www.pondlady.com

To find more pond information, go to pondlady.com

Duck Ponds

How to keep a small pond looking and smelling good?
I made a small pond for some ducks that I have but the ducks pooped in the pond and now it stinks horribly. How can I help this problem?


Answer:
That's the big problem with duck ponds. The only thing you can do is make the pond so you can easily hose it out or clean it. There is no way to make duck poop go away unless you remove it by cleaning out the pond.

4 mil trash bags

Can a 4 mil liner work for an indoor pond?
I was wondering if a 4 mil liner would keep the water in or if it would need to be stacked in layers.


Answer:
4 mil is the same as a trash bag. It will not work because it isn't water tight. Doubling or tripling won't work either. The water permeates one layer, then the next and so forth. And pretty soon the water is on the floor and the plastic bag is floating on top. (Guess how I know this? )

If you want an indoor pond, use a plastic pot or a horse trough from the feed store or a large muck bucket depending on what size you want.

Pond Emergency

Backyard pond emergency!?
My neighbor has gone away for the weekend and left me in charge of his fish pond. Heard a funny noise coming from his yard this morning and discovered that most of the water has drained out of the pond this morning (the pump is still running). He's not back until tomorrow and I have no idea how to fix this. Can I just throw a hose in and fill it up again (the fish are okay so far - there's about 6" of water left)
 HELP!!!

The fish are your standard pond fare - koi and goldfish.


Turn off the pump. Run water in. PUT DECHLORINATOR IN! If you don't all the fish will die.
There is a leak somewhere near the waterfall.  Have a look, put the rock that tipped back in place and all will be OK.

Frog pond

I have a 4ft by 3ft frog pond and water won't stay in it for more the 12 hours.I want to keep it filled without using a nylon or any type of liner.Oh and its about 1 foot deep.

Answer:

Concrete is a difficult material to use. It's brittle and unforgiving. It leaches out lime, so screws up your pH. And when the ground moves, the concrete cracks.
Try bentonite. It's cheap and easy to use. You line the hole with it - it's a clay and holds water.

Pond liners, koi pond container?

Is there any substitute for pond-liner in building a koi pond?

Where can i get a cheap container to be used as a home-made koi pond?

You need 40 mil butyl rubber liner. Koi need space and depth and no container is large or deep enough, at least not one that is cheap.

Read this article I wrote about how to build a koi pond:

http://www.pondlady.com/Articles/koipond…

PVC or Butyl liner?

Which type of pond liner is best, butyl, epdm, or pvc and why?


Answer

Use 40 mil butyl rubber. Firestone is a good brand. Use rubber instead of PVC because it stands up to the sun better. PVC will crack in a few years if sun hits it. Butyl rubber comes with at least a 20 year guarantee, maybe more.